Marriage Of Convenience
by CrazyboutNaruHina
Summary: The 18, almost 19 year old Kunoichi of Konohagakure never liked the idea of arranged marriages or marriages of convenience. However, as it turns out, fate and someone by the name of Uchiha Sasuke had other plans for her... Why did he choose her out of all the options that he had? If she had a choice in the matter, she'd tell him to shove it, but she didn't and she hated it!
1. Chapter 1

"Do you remember that time when I helped you and you said that you'll always be in debt and that you'd do whatever it takes to repay me?" Haruka nodded her head helplessly wondering where in the world this conversation was going…And why was her hair beginning to stand on ends.

"Well…I have a favor to ask of you, think of it as a form of repayment." The way the raven haired boy looked at her, she had a feeling that she should be running for the hills; that she definitely wouldn't like where this was going. Not one bit, but in truth…she did owe him and she was willing to repay him whatever it takes. Surely he wouldn't ask for something next to impossible, he would be reasonable…or so she hoped.

"Yeah? Shoot," Haruka responded, trying her best to hide the uneasiness she was beginning to feel. Unconsciously, she shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, deciding now to scope out the room that they were currently having their 'meeting' in. It was small; one of the first things she noticed, and had a very abandoned feel to it, but that was expected since no one had occupied the place in such a long time.

There was only one window and now that she noticed it, she realized how hot inside the room was. It was located just behind a small brown desk which was opposite to where she was situated; close to the door just in case she needed to bolt as soon as possible…One could never feel too safe under such eerie and uncomfortable circumstances. In the corner to her right there were a number of boxes stacked haphazardly with numerous amounts of pre-historic scrolls strewn messily inside them.

Haruka's gaze then shifted back to the person currently occupying the room with her, not before noticing how the walls were moldy in the corners and held a depressing dull brown color. He was leaning against the table, arms folded across his chest, his lips forming a tight line across his face as he regarded her silently. If she didn't know him, she'd honestly assume that he was planning quick and easy ways to kill her and discard the body. Even though he wasn't in the book of angels, she very much doubted that he'd be thinking that but then again when it came to him, one could never be too sure. So, she squared her shoulders and regarded him seriously, his look finally sinking in, causing the wheels to turn sickeningly in her head. What could he possibly ask of her? What could she possibly do for him? He had everything, money, looks, power, evilness to last him a lifetime, a vengeful streak that he should honestly work on losing, strength, friends…What could he possibly want? What does he-

"Marry me." Haruka's eyes widened and she took an automatic step back. Surely she heard wrong. Surely she was imagining things.

"E…E…Eh?" She somehow managed to come out of the initial shock to feebly stutter through her lips.

"Marry me." The girl did an immediate double take at the boy's face which was blank and expressionless, devoid of any kind of emotion. What kind of favor was that!? He had to be kidding...right? But then she remembered almost instantaneously that he was not the type to kid around under any circumstance. For all she knew, he didn't even have a funny streak in him. So, Haruka ultimately summed it up to being a dream. Yes. A dream. A very bad dream.

"You're not serious…There's no way you can…you're definitely not-"

"I am. You'll help me restore my clan." He deadpanned like it was the cure for the new disease that was attacking the Land of Water lately. She shook her head furiously, her mouth agape. Maybe some saliva fell out but at that moment, she really didn't care. She was too preoccupied in being too shocked to think coherent thoughts, much less to form any sort of coherent sentences. Suddenly, Haruka snapped out of her momentary stupor and fumed. Who the hell did he think she was?!

"Like hell I would Uchiha!" The girl spat the words with so much venom on her tongue that any normal person would take a step back in fear, but who was she kidding? Uchiha Sasuke was definitely not a normal person, she wasn't even sure he was human to begin with and as she expected, he just stared at her his face blank, obviously unaffected by her outburst.

"If I recall accurately and please, by all means, do correct me if I'm wrong…" The Uchiha drawled out sardonically, taking one step forward "…Your nindo is the same as the dobe's right? Hmm, what was it again?" He took another step forward and in response, Haruka took several steps back until she was practically trying to become the new wallpaper for the room.

"…to never go back on your word?" He smirked, knowing full well that he hit the nail directly on the head. The girl swallowed. Hard. The lump in her throat growing bigger and bigger, each heartbeat more panicked and frantic that the last.

"You're not going to go back on your word now are you Yamamoto-san?" Haruka took a sharp intake of breath, feeling slightly light-headed now, a stifling feeling encompassing her so much so that she felt like passing out. The nerve on the little bastard. She seethed. How dare he use that against her?! Still, she wouldn't bend to his whim. Not in a million years.

"But why? Why me?" She asked a bit hesitantly, though she was genuinely curious, trying her best not waver in both her speech and her stance.

"What? You think it's because I fancy you?" He laughed dryly and she rolled her eyes.

"Of course not…I don't think you're capable of harboring any of the feelings you get when you fancy someone. Quite frankly, I don't think you're capable of harboring any feelings at all…" She rebutted quickly, looking at him solemnly but he continued like she never said anything at all.

"This is just a marriage of convenience and I chose you because other than the fact that you come from one of the powerful clans, there was really no one else…" His head was turned, staring out the window. The wind blew lightly causing strands of his bangs to flitter across his face before it stooped and his hair fell back in place. Haruka then realized that this was the most she ever heard from him in forever and briefly wondered if he was upsetting some sort of balance by talking this much. Probably, since he never bothered to do it before. When he turned to her once more, his eyes were darkened and his gaze was narrowed down dangerously at her, causing warning bells to go off rampantly in her head.

"Unless of course…I choose Hinata instead. I'm sure she'd oblige and her father would be more than willing. Actually now that I'm thinking about it, uniting the Hyuuga and the Uchiha might be a great idea." Sasuke's eyes were challenging and Haruka gritted her teeth so hard, she swore they would break, it was actually a miracle they didn't. Her hands were balled into fists, clenched so tight that her knuckles became white and she began losing feeling in them. How could he?

"Maybe I should pay a visit to Hiashi, I'm sure he'd be more than pleased with my proposition." Sasuke was taunting her, the stupid bastard was taunting her and that made her very angry. Haruka knew…and apparently Sasuke did to, that she couldn't allow herself to let him wife Hinata. The poor girl would be distraught and heartbroken if anything. She loved Naruto with every fiber in her body, down to the last strand of hair on her head and to and to let Sasuke step into that picture would be the ultimate sin. And Naruto…he was now progressing when it came to the Hyuuga girl…finally.

Sasuke was evil…pure evil!

"You arrogant, conniving son of a nine months, I swear to Kami-sama Uchiha that I'll rip out your testicles and feed them to Kakashi's dogs!"

"I'll be taking that as a yes then?" He smirked and the next thing Haruka knew, she was halfway across the room, launching at him, more than ready to land a punch on his face to wipe that god damned annoying smirk off. Unfortunately for her, it didn't go as planned and the Uchiha side-stepped her, causing her to crash not so gracefully into the table. The girl didn't know why she allowed herself to collide with the table. She was a trained shinobi for crying out loud! But there was no use crying over spilt milk, no matter how much it hurt. Sasuke didn't even bat an eyelash at her sprawled figure on the dusty-she now realized-floor, not that she expected him to… but hey, he managed to talk this much so forgive her for having a little hope.

"Hn." Was his only response to her antics before he turned his back on her and made action to leave the room.

'Teme!" Haruka screeched as she got up from the floor, trying her hardest to keep her anger under control, though her tries were awfully futile. This guy was beginning to rub her the wrong way and by Kami-sama she was going to murder him before the day was out. This was the first time that Haruka ever cursed her nindo, the first time that she hated it, and it was all because of that guy standing proudly in the doorway, like he was some kind of saint.

Was this defeat? She didn't want to bend to is whim-she'd rather die-but what other choice did she have? Her options were severely limited, actually she didn't have any options at all and knowing Sasuke, well the Sasuke now, he wouldn't hesitate to drag Hinata into this if she didn't comply…Could she really sacrifice Hinata to save herself? Could she really do that to Naruto? Haruka slumped to the floor, eyes wide and searching like headlights for something, anything. Maybe she had liked Sasuke when she was seven straight up to twelve, but it was different now…She had moved on from him eons ago. She didn't even see him as a friend anymore. Sure she still tried talking to him, but that was only because she was hanging on to some false hope that the boy she knew back then was still inside that warped mind somewhere.

Maybe she was wrong? Maybe the person standing before her now was the true Sasuke and her close friend from so many years ago was a false character…a mirage.

Sasuke had only been back to the village for a total of six months. After he had fought alongside the Allied Shinobi forces in the war against Madara, instead of returning to the village he went into self exile in order to punish himself, even though Naruto and Sakura begged and told him how unnecessary it was and that the village would welcome him back home. Their cries fell on deaf ears of course, like Haruka knew it would, and she was honestly surprised to know that both Naruto and Sakura thought they could persuade him. Didn't they know that Sasuke was a hard nut to crack? That when he made up his mind to do something, there was no altering that course or that goal? Turns out Naruto knew…he knew it all and yet he played ignorant to that fact and still tried.

He never gave up; he would've followed Sasuke to the ends of the earth like before, that is, if Haruka didn't persuade him not to. The girl was amazed at how the blond always seemed to listen to her and took her opinions seriously…well most of them anyway. So, in the end, Sasuke served his two year self given penance and returned to the village six months ago, silently working hard ever since. Though some of the villagers were still skeptical about him, they eased up after a while and went about their business as they usually would.

Sakura still loved him, it seemed as though she always would although she was trying her best to deter herself from that path. However, it was like Naruto trying to abstain from ramen. Hopeless. Haruka paled. Sakura would be heartbroken and furious with her. Could she really handle that? Sakura was also her good friend.

"What about Sakura?" The silver haired girl heard herself ask, eyes glued to the floor, her palms leaving handprints in the dust.

"What about her?"

"What do you mean, 'What about her'?! She loves you Sasuke! Why don't you marry someone who loves you?! Sa-Sakura…Sakura loves you, she-she-she…" A tear drop hit the dusty floor, followed by more and only then did Haruka realize that she was crying. She couldn't even stop them from falling and the reasons for that were beyond her.

"How can you call yourself a shinobi when you can easily break such a simple code of conduct?" '_A shinobi must never show emotions' _The words echoed inside her head like an old recording.

"It is seen as a sign of weakness…" She blurted out automatically. "…But-but I'd rather be weak than to betray one of my friends." The girl stated with vindication and Sasuke scoffed.

"We'll meet back here again tomorrow to further discuss things. At sunset, no later." And with that, he threw open the door and proceeded to exit the small room, momentarily stopping his tracks to look at her over his shoulder.

"Let's keep the conditions of this marriage between us. No one else has to know or should know for that matter. If anyone asks, we'll just say I asked you and you merrily accepted."

"Why would they-" His swift movement cut her off and she sat there doe-eyed as he appeared at her side, holding her left hand in his and before she knew it, or had an opportunity to for her brain to register what was happening, he was gone. He was gone and she was staring down at her ring finger in shock and fear with a feeling of dread pooling in the pits of her stomach, as there, nestled snuggly on her finger was the silver Uchiha ring with the Uchiha crest printed expertly and proudly for everyone and their grandparents to see. On top of all that, it was next to impossible, no, it was impossible to remove, try as she may and she tried extremely hard. She even entertained the thought of chopping of her finger or maybe her entire hand but quickly dismissed it as _too _extreme. The girl gave up trying after her finger started burning something fierce, evidence that she had tried too hard and now her finger was blistered. Haruka knew that she could easily heal herself but she decided against it, swiping vigorously at her eyes to remove the frustrated tears that had leaked out through her struggle, and making her leave from the Uchiha compound instead.

Haruka walked around the village helplessly, too afraid to go home. She hadn't thought about it before but what was she going to say to her parents? They could easily tell when she was lying, especially her brother. Oh dear God, her brother. She couldn't even fathom what he would say. She held her left hand nervously in her right, desperately trying her best to hide the ring from prying eyes. What did Sasuke do to it anyway for it not to be able to be removed from her finger? Did her rig it with chakra or something? Or was it some sort of ring-stay-on-finger-no-jutsu?

Haruka sighed, frustratedly running a hand through her unkempt silver locks that fell just on her shoulders, her fingers playing idly with the short strands as she remembered how long it used to be, and why she cut it in the first place. She really missed it sometimes but even though she did, when it grew back-rather quickly-she still found herself in front the mirror time and time again, without fail, with her chakra scalpels, watching the cut strands fall soundlessly on to the floor of her room. She sighed again.

The streets of Konoha were busy, Haruka noticed pensively; people milling about in their numbers by the many eating places, some bars were booming with business from shinobi who were without missions and those who had not too long come backs from missions, children with their family whose laughter were being carried around with the wind that was blowing strands of her hair wildly around her face. Everything, everyone was so happy that the place felt almost festival-like. The sun had set a while ago and now the moon was out in all its glory, filling the place with a calm and peaceful glow. Haruka had to admit though, that the breeze was slightly chilly but she hardly noticed it. That and the energetic, blue eyed bond who was calling out to her, too occupied with her thoughts to so much as bat an eyelash.

"OI! HARUKA!" A familiar voice rang in her ear, as someone tugged slightly on her shoulder.

"Huh? Oh Naru-chan it's you," The girl turned around and face the blond, who was making a face at her, with a small smile on her face. She couldn't let him see that she was troubled.

"Why do you keep calling me that?! I sound like a girl," Naruto whined and Haruka had to fight back a laugh at his childish antics.

"Cause I can…and its funny how you react," She tilted her head to the side slightly, studying him as he mimicked her statement.

"I've been calling you for a while now…I'm sure even Baa-chan heard that last call. Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her inquisitively.

"Heh…I'm sorry, yeah I am. I just have a lot on my mind lately. I was on my way to Ichiraku's, wanna join?" His eyes lit up and a broad smile graced his whiskered face.

"Hah! You bet!" But then he was frowning, sighing like an old man with his shoulders slouched.

"It's on me." Haruka added in with a grin and Naruto wasted no time in re-applying the smile to his face.

"You know…I don't even know how my money finishes so fast…I mean I take one trip to Ichiraku's and the next thing I know…I'm broke," Naruto confessed, looking very, very conflicted and Haruka had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh that was threatening to spill free from her lips.

"It's because you don't know your limit when it comes to ramen so obviously your money would finish…" She pointed out as they strolled through the villagers to get to Ichiraku's.

"It's just that I don't think there should be a limit when it comes to ramen.'

"Only you would say something like that, you know." She giggled softly, shaking her head as Naruto smiled, scratching at the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah, probably." And with that a comfortable silence fell upon them and before Haruka knew it, they were being seated at Ichiraku's and ordering ramen. A bowl of miso pork with extra fish cakes for Naruto and a v bowl of veggie with menma at the side for her.

"Haruka?" Naruto called out to her between slurping down the remnants of his fifth bowl of ramen. The girl seriously wondered sometimes if Naruto possessed some sort of black hole in his stomach. Where in the hell did all that food go?! While she was struggling to finish eat her lone bowl, he was in heaven chomping down on bowl after bowl of the food.

"Hm?" She muttered in response trying to swallow the contents in her mouth. She couldn't even gnaw ungracefully at her food like she usually would and it was all thanks to that stupid conversation she had with Sasuke, messing with her appetite. Seriously! How in the world can someone eat with something like _that_ running through their mind over and over sickeningly?

"Is something the matter? You're acting really strange and why do you have that ring on your finger?" While Haruka nearly jumped out of her skin from his inquiry, Naruto was peering curiously at the object in question, eyes squinted and lips pursed in concentration.

"Uh this? Heh…well you see what had happened was…it umm- I'm sorry Naruto but I really have to go!" And with that she flew up from her seat, hastily placing the money for their dinner on the counter before she started running. She probably did the wrong thing by running away but her brain was so muddled that she couldn't even think of a proper and believable explanation to give him so she just went with the first evasive tactic that came to her head. Unfortunately the first thought was to run. She could just imagine Sasuke laughing at her misfortune…well not laughing since he didn't really do that so it would have to be smirking. Yes, smirking at her misfortune.

"OI! Haruka! Is that the Uchiha crest?!" The girl never wanted to die as much as she did then at hearing Naruto's voice catching up to her.

"HARUKA! Is that it? The Uchiha crest on…" Oh dear! She knew what was coming after so instead of running away from him she made a sharp turn a ran toward him instead tackling him to the ground and quickly covering his mouth so that his next words came out muffled. Haruka was fully aware that most of the population of Konoha probably heard Naruto's obnoxious and boisterous words and she silently thanked the heavens that he wasn't able to reveal anything else. Villagers close by were sending weird looks their way but Haruka ignored them and brought Naruto to his feet, one hand over his mouth and the other holding his hand in place securely behind his back. Of course the hand that had the ring was holding Naruto's behind his back.

"Just follow me…" She told him quietly and all but dragged him back to his apartment where she finally let him go.

"Hey! What was that all about?" Was the first thing that came flying out of his mouth as he opened the door to his living space.

"Safety measure." She shrugged, stepping in.

"Safety measure?! I nearly had a heart attack!" He exclaimed and Haruka sighed.

"Baka," She muttered softly, trying her best not to think of what would happen if Naruto's outburst was completed and heard by someone like Sakura or her brother.

"You know you can talk to me right? I know I'm not the smartest person but I'll try my hardest to help you with whatever the problem is." He was worried; she heard it in his voice and saw it in his eyes when she looked up at him.

"Thanks, Naruto but I only need sleep…it's been a long day and I wanna hit the sack…I'm crashing here by the way," She smiled up at him and though he didn't look too convinced for a minute, his eyes suddenly bulged and then he sighed as he laid out a futon on the floor. She and Naruto were really close, that she even considered him like a brother so her crashing here was nothing new to him since she did this a lot.

"You can have the bed…I'll sleep here." And he plopped himself on the futon whilst she made herself comfortable on his bed not before turning off the lights.

"Goodnight Naru-chan." She grinned, staring at the ceiling only to be answered by silence. He was already asleep. How he managed to fall asleep so fast she had no idea but she silently prayed that he slept for her because she knew she wasn't going to get any tonight, not when her mind was jumbled and swirling.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I didn't mention this in the first Chapter but this is my first ever Naruto fanfiction so plz let me know what you think and point out any mistakes i may have made...constructive criticism is welcomed. I also know that my update took ridiculously long and i apologize it's just that i had a severe case of writers block (sucks much) but things should be cool from here on out, unless life has other plans for me, which i really hope it doesn't... Thanks to the ppl who reviewed i appreciate it mucho. Hope you enjoy this chappie! :)**

**Disclaimer: Me don't own Naruto...unfortunately...sigh...but oh well...I'll survive (hopefully)!**

**How long had she been lying on the bed like this, wondered Haruka as she stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the universe, while Naruto snored away on the floor, without a care in the world. The girl never thought she was or would be for that matter, capable of en vying someone as much as she did the blond at the moment, and cursed her mind for being so darned unsettled!**

**This was all Sasuke's fault! What the hell was wrong with him anyway? She knew he was messed up somewhere in the head but this? Being all proud and cocky while he shamelessly forced her into something she despised with every fiber in her body, without pity or the slightest bit of remorse. Damn him!**

**She twisted and turned for the umpteenth time, her body tangling in the sheets as the insomnia lingered and tortured her. Though she had expected that the probability of her falling asleep was next to nothing, she still found it ridiculous not to mention beyond frustrating, especially since Sasuke was probably way off into dreamland having fun torturing her further in his dreams. That thought alone angered her to the point of wanting to scream out in sheer frustration…or find the bastard and beat him to an unrecognizable pulp. Damn it! It just wasn't fair! She groaned loudly, once, twice, three times before she shot up into a sitting position with a loud sigh, holding her head in her hands as she stared of into the darkness.**

"**Say Naruto, it's gonna be okay, isn't it?" Haruka whispered, her eyes landing on Naruto's sleeping form.**

"**I'll be okay, won't I? Naruto?" Though she knew she wouldn't get an answer, she imagined him with a big grin and his nice guy pose telling her that yes, everything would be okay. That she'd be alright. The girl laid back down, eyes still trained on the unsuspecting blond. She knew she probably looked like some sort of crazy psycho and should anyone barge into the room randomly-not that anyone would of course-and question her actions, that she wouldn't have any excuse without sounding like a total creep. But…she just couldn't help it. Watching Naruto sleep and look so peaceful, calmed her in some way-not to the point of falling asleep unfortunately-but it eased her mind.**

"**I wish I could tell you everything Naruto, and I can but just…just…not now. I need time you know…to figure things out first…" She told the sleeping boy.**

"**No…Sakura-chan…you can't have me anymore…I like someone else now…" Haruka heard Naruto mumble on the floor, a grin on his face as he hugged his pillow against him. The girl stared at him, brows knitted together in confusion.**

"**Sakura-chan…you have to let me go now…like really let me go! I have a date and I don't wanna be late! I already told you that I don't like you anymore. I know I'm irresistible but you gotta forget about me and move on okay!" He grinned again as he sleepily slurred out the words, drool making trail down the corner of his mouth. The girl was desperately trying to fight back a bark of laughter, minimizing it to light giggles as Naruto dreamed on. Boy! She was going to have a field day with this the next day!**

"**I'm coming Hinata-chan...Wait for me!"**

"**OO…seems like you had a little slip up there Naru-chan." Haruka mused with a smile as she imagined him well on his way, skipping down the road to the Hyuuga compound.**

**Carrying on with her psycho behavior, morning had come rather quickly, instead of torturing and slow like she expected it would and when the first rays of sunlight had penetrated through Naruto's window, she flew up and left, leaving a note and some change for the blond. The note of course was to explain her absence and the money in order for him to purchase ramen since the cup ramen he usually had for breakfast was finished.**

**Once again, Haruka found herself strolling through the village like she did before, only this time she looked like a zombie, her hands stuffed in the pocket of her shorts of course. She needed to go home, she knew, but every time she took the path to her house, her feet always took a detour. The girl sighed and held her head down, her feet scuffing against the floor as she tried to avoid any and everybody. And for this plan, she knew just where to go.**

****…****…****…****…****…****…****…** Sakura's P.O.V**

**The pinkette sighed as she made her way to Konoha's hospital for her early morning shift. She loved being a medic-nin, yes, and she wouldn't ever trade it for the world but sometimes she just wanted her rest and that morning was no exception to that want. Sakura yawned and rubbed, or at least tried to rub, the remnants of sleep from her eyes. You'd think a cold shower would help but unfortunately, it did nothing to rouse the sleep beast within her that morning.**

"**Good Morning Sakura-san!" The girl in question swiveled her body in a full 180 with a smile.**

"**Good morning Shizune-san! Are you headed to the hospital as well?"**

"**Actually I am but I have a message for you. Tsunade-sama would like to see you right away please." Sakura stood up straight, fully alert now.**

"**And…if you happen to see Haruka around, please take her with you. We've been looking for her all morning but came up without results, you'd think that she just disappeared all of a sudden." Shizune chuckled and the pinkette joined in.**

"**That's hardly it though; she obviously doesn't want to be seen. I'll find her and we'll go to Tsunade-sama right after."**

"**Thank you very much…" The Hokage's assistant responded and with bids of farewells, Sakura made her way to find her friend. She knew where to look of course since by pure accident she knew where the girl went every time she was down or wanted to be alone. She remembered when she first met Haruka, she and everyone else thought that the girl was the product of Kakashi and Kurenai. Because upon first, second, or all glances she looked exactly like the product of what Kakashi's and Kurenai's child would look like if they had ever gotten together. The silver hair like Kakashi and the red eyes like Kurenai. The skills and looks from both. Though, there was a rumor that she was some sort of estranged family to Kakashi, but no one was ever brave enough to ask for confirmation. Sakura halted to a stop when she reached her destination and found her friend sitting on a branch of the big Sakura tree in full bloom.**

************…*********…**********…************

**Haruka's P.O.V**

**It wasn't hard for her feet to take her to her favorite place…she just walked and then ended up here just like she did many times in the past. The big Sakura tree, standing tall and proud was in full bloom; pink petals blowing in the direction of the wind, the ground littered with all shades of pink. Being here relieved her and calmed her but it was depressing all the same. There were way too many memories here, memories that she was better off forgetting. Haruka sighed and walked up the tree, plopping herself on the branch that she claimed as her own. Her eyes roamed all over until it finally landed on the ring that irked her, the ring that she decided that she hated, the ring that she wanted to get rid of and she remembered.**

**(Flashback)**

**Her foot slammed against the dirt floor as she ran, the cold rain and wind whipping at her face, pounding down on her body. What she heard couldn't be true right? It couldn't possibly be true. Sasuke would never leave Konoha!**

**Haruka swiped at her eyes, which were beginning to blur from the rain. She had left her relatives from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall (Takigakure) where she was training as soon as she heard news from her Uncle about Sasuke supposedly leaving Konoha to join Orochimaru. She wasn't supposed to leave and what's worse was that she didn't tell anyone but she couldn't just sit back. She had to know if it was true.**

**With that thought, she pushed herself even further, beckoning her feet to move even faster. Suddenly her eye caught a glimpse of familiar colors; blue and white moving slowly behind a tree, and she stopped. "Sasuke?" She called out. "Sasuke! I know you're there!" She heard a faint grunting sound the rustling of bushes. She stuck her nose up in the air and sniffed. Though she wasn't as good a sniffer as Kiba, she still knew the scent of blood, and Sasuke. Not even rain could change that.**

"**It's true then? You're really going to join Orochimaru?" She couldn't face him so she just stood where she was and asked. There wasn't a response, only more rustling. She felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes, her long, silver hair that was way past her butt falling out of the chignon she managed to get it in.**

"**Answer me! Sasuke! **_**Answer ME**_**!" There was still no response.**

"**You're really leaving huh? Then that means that you've already cut all the ties you had with the people that you love? With Kakashi? With Naruto? Sakura?!" She cried out but then her voice softened to barely a whisper. "…with **_**me**_**?" That last thought hurt her and she found her tears mixing with the rain as they trickled down her cheek in unison. And then she got angry.**

"**Fine then! If it's like that then I'll cut my ties with you as well… starting with this…" She tugged her hair out of the chignon letting it flow out in its volume and length. Then, grabbing a kunai out of her pouch, she clutched on to the silver mass where it touched her neck and cut through it with the kunai, letting the long cut strands fall to the floor as the rest framed her face.**

"**I only left it with its length because you told me you liked it like that. I'm sure you remember how much I hated it. I'm also sure Naruto and Sakura tried to persuade you to stay in the village, and you being here now, shows that they were both unsuccessful, meaning there's nothing **_**I**_** could do or say that would make you stay…So…from here on out…we're…we're enemies you hear! Enemies!" And with that, though she was crying like a baby and her heart was aching painfully, she ran off continuing on to the path to Konoha. "Goodbye, Sasuke…" She whispered, her voice cracking with sorrow. She didn't know if she was hallucinating or if it was her imagination but she swore she heard him respond.**

"**Goodbye, Haruka."**

**(End Flashback)**

**After that she remembered coming straight to this tree and bawled her eyes out although that was clearly not a good idea because the tree only made it worse.**

"**Haruka! Good Morning!"Haruka gasped at her name being shouted and whipped her head to the ground so fast that she lost her balance and almost fell but luckily she was a trained shinobi and was able to land skillfully on her feet.**

"**S…S…S…Sakura!" She stuttered quickly hiding her hand by stuffing it in her pocket.**

"**The way you're looking at me you'd swear someone just told you that the fifth shinobi world war was about to commence." Sakura laughed and Haruka blushed, slightly embarrassed.**

"**Sorry…you just startled me is all…" Haruka apologized with a small smile.**

"**It's okay though I'm wondering what on earth you were thinking about that had you so spaced out. I've been calling you for a while now…" The girl shrugged, her eyes trained on the big tree and answered smoothly.**

"**Nothing really, just reflecting on the past." Sakura nodded in understanding.**

"**Why do you always come to this tree though? When you want to be alone or when you're running away from things?" The pinkette asked unaware of how her question had Haruka's mind turning. **_**Running away huh?**_** Haruka thought. Was she running away from the situation at hand? She was never a coward and always faced things head on with an open mind but the more she thought about Sakura's statement the more right she believed her friend was.**

"**Haruka?" Sakura's voice intercepted her thoughts and she came out of her thinking to look at the other girl who had a questioning look on her face.**

"**Why this tree you ask? I found this tree when I was really small, back in the academy days actually and I made a friend here who helped me during my struggle at that time…and I kept coming to this tree ever since. I guess I just got attached to the place." She gave a solemn smile, kicking at the ground idly.**

"**You seem to really like that person…he or she's special to you aren't they?" Haruka's eyes landed on Sakura.**

"**And why would you think that?"**

"**The way you talked about that person just now…it just seemed like you really treasure him or her…" She pointed out in response and Haruka almost laughed**

"**You're wrong Sakura…That person isn't special to me and quite frankly…" She paused, looking back at the tree for a split second. "I just hate that person…" She stated clenching her fists tightly in the pockets of her pants.**

"**By the way what are you doing here?" Haruka asked quickly, trying not to linger on the topic of discussion any further.**

"**Oh…I was actually looking for you for Tsunade-sama. She wants to see us in her office right away." Sakura informed and Haruka nodded.**

"**Well…what are we waiting for? Let's go!" The silver-haired girl smiled and both her and her comrade began walking en route to Tsunade's office.**

_**Running away huh?**_** Haruka thought again as she walked.**


End file.
